Outbreak
by nici-kitty
Summary: Anakin and Ahsoka are sent on a mission to a remote planet, where the dark side is strong and a deadly virus rages. Before long they become trapped and must fight to resist the temptation of the dark side.


**For anyone who wants a good old fashioned adventure story.**

**A/N:** I haven't posted anything in a long while, so this is an attempt to be active. This first chapter was written about a year ago, as a contest prize for my younger sister. My writing was somewhat fail back then, so I apologize for any fail-ness. My younger sister also has a rather short attention span, so it was necessary that the story be relatively fast paced.

Bardan Jusik and Zey are from the Republic Commando series. My attempt to keep Jusik in character ended up making him into a gary stu, which I will work on improving in later chapters. You don't need to have read RC in order to understand the story.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own canon characters or themes. I did make up some of the clones, a species and a planet, and Lentil belongs to my sister.

* * *

**OUTBREAK- CHAPTER ONE:**

Ahsoka Tano breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the landing pad came into view before them. She was tired, fatigue making her eyelids droop, and her backside was sore from sitting in the shuttle for so long. Standing up, she stretched luxuriously, rubbing her sore back. It was good to be home.

Beside her, her master, Anakin Skywalker, grinned at her in amusement. "Glad to be back, snips?"

"Hah. Naturally," Ahsoka replied, turning to face him. "If I don't see a battle droid for a whole week, it'll be too soon. That stretch on Christophsis was the longest we've gone without receiving reinforcements or returning to Coruscant. I'm sick of that planet."

Anakin nodded. "I agree wholeheartedly. Hopefully we'll get a bit of a rest before we have to go back out on the field. We've more than earned it." He twisted to look at the group of clone soldiers in the row of seats behind them. A scant forty or so of them, the only survivors of the company that had travelled to Christophis four months ago. War had built a sense of comradeship between the clone troopers and the Jedi commanders. "So boys, what are you looking forward to most?"

"A hot shower," Rex sighed, eyes glazing over. "And some decent food. As well as a whole night's sleep. Ah. I remember sleep."

"I second that," Coric murmured sleepily. "But what I want more than anything...is getting this kriffing armor off and putting on fatigues. This suit pinches the most undesirable places."

There was a ripple of laughter around the shuttle, which faded away as the shuttle pulled to a halt on the landing pad. Ahsoka pulled the door open immediately and jumped out. "Coruscant soil! How I have missed you!"

Anakin chuckled as he followed, grimacing as he stretched stiff muscles. He turned to the clones and waved them towards the barracks. "You guys go on and get some rest. You too, snips."

"Where are you going, sky guy?" Ahsoka asked over her shoulder as she turned to follow the clones. Anakin shrugged. "I've gotta let the Council know we've come back. I won't be long."

"Okay. See you." Ahsoka waved before skipping to catch up with Rex and the others. Anakin sighed as she vanished from view. Yeah right, Council. As if. He was really going to catch up with Padme.

A smile crossing the face at the thought of seeing his wife again, he turned to head from the landing strip, when a ripple in the Force and the sound of running footsteps made him turn back. He sighed. Obi Wan was running towards him, robes flapping in the wind.

"Anakin! You're back! Good to see you!" the older man said, coming to a halt in front of Anakin. "How was Christophsis?"

"Awful."

"Good, good." Obi Wan beckoned to his former padawan. "The Council wants to see you immediately! Where's Ahsoka?"

"Uhh, I sent her along to the barracks." Anakin sighed as he followed Obi Wan. Looks like he was going along to see the council after all. "What do they want?"

"Something has come up, they need to send you on a mission," Obi Wan said. Anakin stopped short, spluttering. "But...we just got back! Can't they give us a break?"

"I know, it's unfair, but the Jedi are stretched thin," Obi Wan said sternly. "Everyone must do their part. Now come on, we can't keep the Council waiting!"

Muttering darkly, Anakin followed. Needless to say, he wasn't in a good mood when he entered the Council Chambers with Obi Wan fifteen minutes later.

Only Mace Windu and Grand Master Yoda were there in person. Kit Fisto, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Aayla Secura sat as shimmering blue holograms. All five masters stared as Anakin as he bowed stiffly. "You summoned me?"

"Yes," Windu said sternly. "But first, how was Christophsis? I congratulate you on your efforts holding off the separatists."

"Thank you," Anakin said through gritted teeth, wishing they would get on with it already. "I hear that I'm to go on another mission?"

"Yes. To the planet Beshish, you must go," Yoda declared. "A distress signal, we have received." the wizened old master glanced at a chrono on the wall. "More details, we shall obtain, when arrive, Master Zey does."

As if on cue, a tall, grey bearded man hurried into the chambers and bowed to the council members. "My apologies for my tardiness," he said, looking slightly flustered. "There was a small emergency to do with paper work."

Windu waved the man's apology aside. "Master Kenobi, General Skywalker, I don't believe you've met Master Arligan Zey, General of the Special Ops Brigade."

"Uhh, no. We haven't," Anakin said, staring at the man, who nodded a greeting towards him. "Um."

"Details on Besish, we would like, Master Zey," Yoda announced. Zey nodded. "Of course, of course. Uhh." he pulled out a datapad and scrolled through it.

"My former padawan, General Bardan Jusik, was sent to Beshish after we received a report of a mysterious disease affecting the settlements," Zey said, glancing up at Anakin. "Jusik's strongest area of the Force is his healing ability, hence why we sent him."

"Wait, wait, I've never heard of Beshish before," Anakin interrupted, puzzled. "Where is it?"

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it," Ki-Adi-Mundi replied. "It's remote, in the Outer Rim. Almost deserted, just a few settlements who work at logging. The planet is mainly covered in forest and its main export is lumber. A mundane existence."

"Anyway, we just received a distress signal from one of the settlements claiming that there are battle droids in the area," Zey continued. "What's more, we haven't received Jusik's last two monthly reports, and have been unable to contact him. As far as we know, it isn't a full scale attack by the separatists, but we definitely need to look into this."

"Go to Beshish, you will, young Skywalker," Yoda instructed. "Investigate this matter, you must."

"Is this disease still out there?" Anakin asked slowly. Zey nodded. "The last report I received from Jusik seemed to indicate that the illness was still quite strong in the area, but I don't think that's the greatest concern. If the separatists gain control of this planet they will have free access to the smaller moons around it, which contain high amounts of the mineral abstruse – a fuel of the dark side. This cannot be allowed."

"If this is so important, why did we not pay much attention to it before?" Obi Wan asked from his chair.

"Truth be told, we had no idea that there was abstruse in that area," Zey admitted. "It was only discovered a few weeks after Jusik arrived there."

"Imperative, it is, that the separatists are driven away from the area," Yoda stated. "Leave immediately, Skywalker must."

"I'll need to recruit more men," Anakin said slightly sourly, wondering why Obi Wan or Zey couldn't go instead. Guess he wouldn't be seeing Padme for a while, then... "I only have forty left after Christophsis."

"This is just a reconnaissance mission, Anakin," Obi Wan said. "You just need to tell us what's going on with the separatists and whether they are really about to sack Beshish. Then you contact us and we'll send reinforcements as are fit. Two squads should be sufficient, and take Ahsoka with you."

"Okay," Anakin bowed and headed for the exit. As soon as the doors sealed behind him, he muttered darkly. "Yeah, yeah, we just got back and right onto another mission. Hmph. Poor boys..." he added, thinking of the clones. "They just never get a break. I really don't want to have to send them out on another operation so soon after we just got back from four months straight fighting..."

"General Skywalker!"

Anakin whirled around at the voice. To his surprise, Zey was trotting after him. "I have a favor to ask of you."

Anakin frowned. "Yeah, what is it?"

"While you're on Beshish, I'd like you to see if you can find Jusik." Zey's face was drawn with worry. "We haven't heard from him in a long time...but I sense he's still alive." He handed the datapad over to Anakin. "This contains a map and the coordinates of the settlements on Beshish – it's a small planet, there's only eleven of them. I suggest you start at that one – Commune. It's where we traced the distress signal to...and also where I last heard Jusik was."

"Okay..." Anakin said as he tucked the datapad into his robes. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him."

"Thank you," Zey said fervently, before heading back off to his office. Anakin sighed and headed for the barracks, steeling himself for the task of giving the bad news to the troops.

* * *

"Ohhhhh!" Curly yelled, standing up on his bed and brandishing his toothbrush. "This is my rendition of Mon Cal Sonata number 74!" he flourished the toothbrush before his mouth like a microphone. "Saaaaaaan-tara diiiii-i-kuuuuuuut! La la la la laaaaaaaaaa kriffing staaaang!"

The snorts of laughter and loud guffaws were cut off as the door slid open and a disgruntled looking General Skywalker entered. All the clone turned to face him, and Ahsoka stood up from her perch on the edge of the bed. "Master? What's wrong?"

"We're being sent on another mission," Anakin said grimly. "Immediately."

There was silence, which just made Anakin feel even worse, though it wasn't really his fault. The clones never seemed to complain, despite the circumstances. Rex turned to Anakin. "But sir...we just got back."

"I know," Anakin sighed, stepping into the room. "Try telling the Council that. We don't all need to go, though...only Ahsoka and I, and eight men. ...I hate to have to pick people."

The clones glanced at one another. Rex stepped forward. "I'll go, of course, sir. I wouldn't let you go without me."

"Me too." Coric agreed.

Anakin nodded in relief. "Thank you." he turned to the other clones. "Are six of you ready to volunteer? Otherwise I'll just draw lots. That would be more fair."

Dusc and Bimm, pod brothers, shared a look then nodded. "We'll go as well," they said in unison. The two were closer than any ordinary clone brothers, and fiercely loyal. Anakin grinned. "Thank you."

"And me, sir," Lentil said.

Curly, Spruce and Joe also volunteered. Anakin thanked them and stood. "I'll transmit the mission details to your helmets, and your 'pad, snips. We have to leave immediately...so get prepared."

"Where are we going, sir?" Rex asked.

"Beshish."

"Never heard of it." the clone captain pulled on his helmet and searched through the databases in his HUD. "Ahh...Outer Rim. Should be able to grab some z's on the trip there, then."

Anakin nodded. "Come on, Ahsoka, let's go get ready." The two Jedi left the room to give the clones some time alone. They didn't have much to pack, not owning that many possessions, so they headed for the docking bay to prepare their ship.

"Master..." Ahsoka said slowly, scrolling through her datapad. "I don't see why we have to go. I mean... we just returned from four months of solid fighting. Can't Master Obi Wan or someone go instead?"

"Believe me, I agree," Anakin replied. "But the Council wants us to go. I know this isn't fair, and I'd love to complain about it. But we just need to grin and bear it. I feel bad for the clones, though."

Despite his calm outlook, he was fuming inside.

* * *

General Bardan Jusik sank down on the boulder in the scattered stones at the edge of the settlement. "Shab... I'm tired."

"You've been working too hard." The Bishan female at his side said loudly. "You need to rest." A head taller than him, the planet's native was an incredibly round, red faced creature, with human features and short, stubby arms and legs that stuck out from her spherical body like pins in a pin cushion. Her lank brown hair flopped over her face as she gazed down at the Jedi.

The settlement of Commune contained a mixture of Bishan and humans, with the odd Zabrak. The disease was affecting all of the species.

Jusik shook his head. "Jolly... communications are down, everyone's just getting sicker, and there are battle droids lurking in the forest. Not to mention that girl who went missing six months ago. If I take a day off, I'll be flooded."

Jolly shook her head sadly. "Zisns has been missing for too long now. I've given up hope." she grinned toothily. "Still! At least we haven't lost anyone from the illness lately, eh? Eh? Something to be glad about! Smile, Bardan, smile!"

Jusik grinned weakly, but truth be told, the long days on Beshish were taking their toll on him. The slow orbit of the planet meant that there were fifteen hours of daylight, and fifteen of night. Jusik spent a straight twenty-five of those running around trying to get things done in the disorganized settlement.

What's more... Jusik squinted up at the white shadow of a moon in the darkening sky. There were three more moons satelliting the planet, two grey, one black, and all of them had a dark aura. It was oppressive, hanging over his mind like a storm cloud, sapping what little strength he had left.

Snapping out of it, Jusik stood, forcing a smile for Jolly. "Come on then, we'd better come back. I've wasted enough time already. I'll see if I can get at least communications within the settlement back up."

"Yay!" Jolly yelled, springing to her feet and waddling back towards the clusters of buildings there. She paused a moment, moon face upturned to the sky. "You think that distress signal Kerin sent out will be answered soon?"

"I hope so," Jusik said. "Now come on!" he chided, mock-sternly. "No time to be dawdling!"

Jolly giggled. "Sir yes sir!"

Jusik sighed when she wasn't listening. _Maintain cheerful outlook. Maintain cheerful outlook._

* * *

Anakin glanced back at the neat row of helmets sitting on top of the row of footlockers lining the wall of the ship. Beside them, the eight clones sat in their seats, breathing rhythmically in sleep. Identical, except for their hair. Lentil's was by far the strangest, a round clump of dark hair in the centre of an otherwise bald head.

Ahsoka shifted in her seat beside him. "I think we're almost there, look!"

Sure enough, a pale planet with patchy dark green vegetation had loomed up on the front viewport. Several smaller spheres hung in orbit around it.

Anakin frowned suddenly as a strange feeling clouded his mind. A wave of bitterness brushing against his consciousness... he clutched at his forehead, forcing the fogginess away. "Ah...what..."

"Sir? Sir, are you okay?" a hand clamped down on his shoulder, forcing him back into reality. He turned to see Rex's shiny bald pate, then two worried dark eyes staring into his own. There was still a queer feeling in his mind. Gritting his teeth, Anakin nodded. "I'm fine, Rex, I just..."

He turned to look at Ahsoka. She was rubbing at her eyes, then asked in a strained voice, "Master, what is this?"

"I think it's the abstruse we were told about," Anakin said. "The dark side is strong here. Clear your mind, like you do when you meditate. Try to block out its influence."

He followed his own advice, pushing back the fog of darkness until it was nothing more than an irritating nag at the back of his head. Nodding, he turned to the clones. "Evidently, we are almost there."

Dusc retrieved their helmets and passed them around, tugging on his own. "Where are we landing, sir?"

"Cleared strip of land just outside Commune. Designed for landing on, obviously," Anakin swung the ship down towards the planet. "Snips, you okay?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "What does that stuff do, anyway?"

"It fuels that dark side. Enhances their power," Anakin explained. "It makes them...almost drunk on power. Of course, a Jedi can be insnared by it as well. Be careful."

"Sometimes I sure am glad I'm not a Jedi..." Sprout muttered.

There was a momentary lurch in their stomachs as the ship dipped downwards through layers of clouds and pulled up at the set coordinates, a runway of clear land lined with forest. Anakin hit a control, opening the doors. "Off we go, then... Lentil, Joe, bring the medical supplies." he strode down the ramp, unconsciously checking that his lightsaber was still attached to his belt. It had become a nervous habit after that one slip-up with Padme and Cad Bane. Never again would he part from it. Never.

"You are my life," he murmured to the weapon.

"Um, Master?" Ahsoka sounded as though she was trying to hold in a laugh and failing. "Are you...talking to your lightsaber?" her composure cracked slightly and she let out a chortle.

Anakin looked away. "No. Let's get moving." he turned towards the large, wooden wall surrounding the settlement. Two humans were running from the main gates towards the ship.

"Who are you?" one of them called out as he approached – they were both middle aged men, rough and hardy from labor. What's more, they were carrying blasters, both of which were trained squarely at Anakin's chest.

"General Anakin Skywalker," Anakin introduced. "From the received your distress signal..."

Both men instantly relaxed. One of them turned to the other. "I don't believe it, Kerin! Your signal actually made it out!"

Kerin nodded, a grin of relief spreading across his face. "Great, and you've brought troops with you. And supplies. Look, it's getting dark... come in, make yourself at home. Just don't let anyone cough on you!"

Both men sniggered. Anakin exchanged worried looks with Ahsoka. He couldn't see his men's faces behind their visors, but he sensed their concern in the Force. Shrugging, he followed Kerin and the other man into the settlement.

"Whoah," Ahsoka commented as soon as they walked through the gates. "Don't you have technology here?"

It was a reasonable question. In a galaxy reliant on metal and plasteels, to find a whole village built entirely of wood, with lanterns instead of electrically powered streetlights, was rare indeed. Kerin chuckled to himself. "Sure we do – in those last two buildings down there. We're a rustic community, and there's no shortage of timber here, so we make use of it."

"Fire," Lentil muttered, staring suspiciously at the lanterns. "If there was a fire, you'd be buggered."

"We are all trained in what to do in case of that," Kerin replied. "But right now there's this malady going round... lots of people are indoors...the infirmary's way too full, so Bardan just goes from house to house. Poor kid's exhausted."

"Bardan...Jusik?" Anakin asked. "He's here? The Jedi Council was worried, they hadn't heard from him in a while."

"All our communications went down a few months ago," Kerin spat. "Terrible. That's why we're glad we never relied on technology. Bardan's still trying to determine the source of the problem. Great tinkerer, he is. Between him and I, we managed to send that distress signal as soon as we sniffed out those droids in the area."

Ahsoka looked around. The streets were mostly empty, but peering from windows she saw sturdily built humans, work men and women, with few children. There were also a strange, large and round species she couldn't identify.

"What are those?" she asked, pointing at one standing on a street corner. Kerin looked over. "Those are Bishan, native species of this planet. Might not look it, but they're incredibly strong, great in the lumber industry. Them, humans and non-sentient wildlife are the occupants of this planet, although we get a few Zabrak."

"Hey!" the other human gate-guard was waving an arm at two figures in the distance. "Bardan, Jolly! The signal got answered! More Jedi are here!"

"We should get back to the gate," Kerin chuckled. "Nice meeting you guys, I'm sure we'll see more of you in the future." with a wave, the two men departed, leaving Anakin, Ahsoka and the clones to stand waiting for the distant figures to approach them.

Coric cleared his throat. "It seems this mission is going to be relatively easy. Help General Jusik out here, investigate those seps, and we're done."

"Might be easier said than done..." Rex said cautiously.

Anakin nodded agreement, then turned as a human and a Bishan approached.

Bardan Jusik looked about the same age as Anakin himself, but was certainly a lot smaller – about Ahsoka's height and build, with straggly blonde hair pulled back in a braid, tufts of which were coming out. He looked worn, but grinned cheerfully as he approached. "Mar'e! Reinforcements. You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

"I'm Anakin Skywalker," Anakin introduced himself, shaking the other Jedi's hand. "This is my padawan, Ahsoka Tano."

"Nice to meet you." Jusik had heard of them before. Of course he had. Everyone had heard of the chosen one and his apprentice. "And what are your names?" he turned to the clones.

Anakin blinked, taken aback. Truth be told, he had expected Jusik to ignore the clones. Most people did, which irked him. Civilians, senators, even some Jedi. Guess you couldn't judge a pad by its data. Or something.

"Clone Captain Rex," Rex introduced. "This is Sergeant Coric. Lentil, Sprout, Joe, Curly, Dusc, Bimm."

"Nice to meet you," Jusik said, inclining his head towards them. "And this is Jubilee, or Jolly."

"Heysh," the Bishan said, grinning at them, although she glanced rather nervously at Rex and the others. "Are these...I heard...the Republic has made a clone army?"

"Indeed, ma'am., Rex said. "We're clones. Brothers. Does that...disturb you?"

"Not at all!" Jolly said, beaming. "And you brought medical supplies! Grrreat!"

"I think we need to do some talking about this situation," Anakin said. "This disease...what exactly is it? And the separatists – that's the main reason we're here."

"Of course," Jusik said. "But first, I need to go on my rounds again... we can talk in a few hours. Sorry, I'm really in a rush right now. Uhh. Would you two like to come with me? Jolly, you can show these men where to put the supplies and then give them a tour of the settlement... make sure they know where all the exits are."

"Exits?" Anakin inquired as the Bishan waddled off with his men. "Do you think we'll need to make a hurried escape?"

Jusik stared up at him, then gave a rueful grin. "No, not really, but if there's a bad fire or...some of the diseased patients get a bit...frisky. It's always good to know."

Anakin shrugged. "Okay, lead on then. I assume you're going to see your patients?"

Jusik nodded, then paused before he continued walking. "You can feel it, right? The dark side? It comes from the minerals on those moons."

"Yes, I can feel it," Anakin said, and Ahsoka nodded as well. Jusik looked up into the sky. "I'm not sure what's up there, and I don't really want to know...but that's why the seps are here, right?"

"We think so," Anakin replied. "And we need to stop them getting what they want. If Dooku or Darth Sidious get their hands on that stuff...well basically, we're screwed."

Jusik looked stunned for a moment, then let out a bark of laughter. "Okay. Okay, let's get on then." he turned towards the nearest building, Anakin and Ahsoka following.

"Ever heard of the rakghoul disease?" Jusik called back as he knocked on the door of the wooden structure and stood back. Ahsoka nodded. "I learned of it in history... it originated in the under-city of Taris, and eventually mutated its victims into ravenous beasts."

"What we're dealing with here is somewhat similar," Jusik said. "Luckily, I have avoided infection so far...but I'd advise you to take precautions. Wash your hands before eating...which I should hope you do anyway, it's highly unsanitary not to."

Ahsoka snorted. "Uh, yeah."

The door was opened by a gaunt looking woman with a worried look on her face. "Bardan? Who are these? He...he's getting worse!"

Anakin frowned as he followed Jusik into the room. It was lit with a reddish light from the lanterns, and was a cluttered room. A mattress lay in the middle of the room, on which a figure thrashed. He heard Ahsoka suck in her breath behind him as she entered.

Jusik knelt by the bedside, and Anakin crouched next to him. "Wow...this is worse than I anticipated."

The blonde nodded grimly, cradling the man's head in his lap. The infected's skin was covered in small, bubble-like lumps, some of which had burst, blood smearing over the lesions. He was slick with sweat, and his face screwed up, mouth open in a snarl, teeth gnashing. His wrists and ankles were strapped to the bed, and his movements showed that he would have been thrashing if he wasn't bound down.

"This man is in the very late stages of the disease," Jusik said softly. "Most of the patients here just have a fever and a rash... but once they get to this level, they often become violent. Two of them broke free and raced off into the woods. We aren't sure what became of them. One Bishan has suffered a broke nose and bite wounds from trying to contain an aggressive victim. The disease can spread through saliva, so... well, it's not good to be bitten."

"Oh..." Ahsoka's hands were pressed to her mouth as she stared at the shaking, blood streaked man. "What can we do to help?"

"I'll fetch some water." the woman headed off into a side room. Anakin watched as Jusik placed one hand on the man's forehead. "Will you get infected, touching him?"

Jusik shook his head. "The disease isn't airborne either. It's passed by coughing, sneezing, biting... that sort of thing." he trailed off, closing his eyes. Ahsoka gingerly knelt beside her master. "What's he doing?"

"Healing him," Anakin explained quietly. "The Force can be used to heal wounds and illness...although you cannot bring people back from the dead. It's a complicated process though, and few can master it."

"Wow," Ahsoka murmured.

Anakin frowned as the afflicted man's breathing eased and his face relaxed slightly. Jusik gently lowered his head back down to the mattress and stood up, covering a yawn with his sleeve. "Okay... onto the next house then."

Anakin moved up next to him as they exited, bending down to speak in a low voice. "You're just wearing yourself out. Are you actually curing the illness?"

"...no," Jusik answered, "I'm not. I've never seen anything like it before. I'm no scientist, I don't have an antidote. I just ease their pain, break the fever where I can... it helps, but once they get to the stage of that man back there, there's no much I can do except make it easy for them."

"You won't be able to keep this up for much longer. I sense it's draining you."

"I can't just leave them." They had almost reached the next house by now. "When you go back to Coruscant, please ask them to send medics or interns. For now, at least it's contained on this one planet."

Anakin nodded silently, then glanced around for Ahsoka. She was hanging back slightly, looking at the ground. Sighing, he moved back to walk next to her, leaving Jusik to go on ahead. "What's with the long face, snips?"

"These people... why don't the council care? They're more worried about the seps getting their hands on abstruse than they are about curing this sickness!" Ahsoka protested.

"If this planet is taken over, the whole galaxy's in danger," Anakin pointed out. "It's a matter of priorities. But to be honest, I didn't expect the disease to be this bad either. I'll try talk to the Council when we get back." _As if they'll listen_, he added darkly in his head.

A loud scream and a shockwave of panic in the Force made them all freeze and spin to look in the direction of the sound. To their horror, flames were licking at the roof of one of the taller buildings on the other side of the settlement.

"...and that's the obvious disadvantage of building everything from wood," Jusik muttered darkly, already sprinting in the direction of the fire. Anakin and Ahsoka quickly followed.

* * *

Rex adjusted his visor to low-light mode and peered into the dark forest, Coric and Lentil close beside him. The latter shook his head after a moment, "No sign of any tinnies."

"Perhaps they only come out during the day?" Coric suggested. "We can go droid-watching in the morning. Scatter some crumbs for the pretty tinnies, then...BAM! Slot 'em."

"I like that idea," Lentil nodded. "It'll be like a vacation: sun, sport, and hunting. Value pack."

"Only downside is the deadly infection back in the settlement," Rex murmured. Truth be told, he wasn't fond of diseases. At all. Not since the Blue Shadow Virus incident. Any mention of sickness made him edgy now. Scarred for life.

Coric shifted and looked around. "Where'd the others go? And Jolly? Did they go back in?"

"I think so." Rex turned, shouldering his Deece. "We should get back as well, meet up with General Skywalker." he frowned as he headed back to the gate. "...it's shut. Locked too, by the look of it."

Coric pushed at the gate and shook his head. "Too tall to climb over as well. Okay...knock, or kick it down?"

Rex rapped on the wooden door. "Hey! Anyone in there? Hm, we'll have to go around the front. It's not that far. Still, what a bother."

The three clones sighed in unison and began following the wall surrounding the compound. At a slight rustling sound from behind, they all froze simultaneously, turning and glaring suspiciously into the undergrowth.

Rex twitched as a twig snapped, then a shape began to emerge from the bushes. They trained their weapons at it, moving to stand with their backs to the wall.

With a ferocious roar, a large, dark blur shot from the greenery and launched itself at them.

* * *

**Sorry about the random ending, but the only way to keep my sister interested was to put Lentil in peril XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Chapter two is about a third written up...**

**Reviews are appreciated, so is constructive criticism. There are a ton of plot holes in this XP  
**


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